Most people in the hiring process place a higher value on the experience of an applicant. However, most failures are a result of attitude rather than a lack of experience. The employee’s attitude is simply not fit for the job.

We tend to hire for skills and fire for attitude. As professionals, we must change our way of thinking and consider attitude first, then the appropriate experience necessary for the position. Remember, the experience may not relate directly to years on the job. An applicant may have ten years of “experience”, but in those ten years, he or she simply has one year of experience repeated ten times, with no growth from year to year.

We should determine what the ideal candidate looks like by considering:
What attitudes are needed for the job? How does the job reward superior performance?
If you had an employee with the right attitude fit for the job, how long would it take to give them the right experience? How can you stop hiring for skills and firing for attitude?

By conducting a job benchmark for the next key position you need to fill you’ll be on your way to hiring someone that has the right attitude to do the job. A by product of stopping the cycle of hiring for experience and firing for attitudes will mean your company retention will increase with the people you want to retain. Because you will have the right people in the right role to execute your company’s strategy.

If you would like to know more about how the job benchmark can help your organization get the right people in the right roles executing your company strategy contact Strategic Human Insights and our Talent ManagementConsultants will show you.